A plug connector has an insulating body of plastic provided with cavities, which cavities are each designed to receive a first contact terminal or first contact element. A first contact terminal has, in particular, a connection end connected to a printed circuit board, an intermediate spring part, and a contact end designed to be connected to the fixed-base connector. An electrical connection can then be established during contact of the contact end of the plug connector with a surface of a second contact terminal or second contact element of the fixed-base connector.
An electrical connection between a first contact terminal of a plug connector and a second contact terminal of a fixed-base connector can be disrupted by the presence of dust particles in an area where contact is made between the first contact terminal and the second contact terminal.
In order to improve this electrical connection between at least one first contact terminal of the plug connector and the corresponding second contact terminal of the fixed-base connector, document U.S. Pat. No. 5,540,599, describes an electrical contact connector made in such a way that a cleaning action occurs during contact of a first contact element with a second contact element. The electrical connector has a first contact element provided with a contact surface and a second contact element also provided with another contact surface. The contact between the first contact element and the second contact element is made in such a way that when the respective surfaces of the first and second contact element are in contact with one another, the first contact element moves laterally relative to a principal axis of the first element. The first contact element also moves axially along this same principal axis of the first contact element. Thus, each contact surface of the first contact element and of the second contact element can be cleaned by sweeping the surface of the second contact element with the contact surface of the first contact element. This type of electrical contact connector has the advantage of being able to clean each of the contact surfaces of the first contact element and of the second contact element, but has the disadvantage that an imperfect electrical connection is made due to the fact that lateral and axial movements can be made by the first contact element against the contact surface of the second contact element during the electrical connection.
Another cleaning device described in document EP-A-0 490,860 is also known. In this document, an electrical contact device is described that also has a first contact element and a second contact element. The second contact element of this electrical contact device is part of a chip card, which chip card is designed to compress a spring during the electrical connection between the first contact element and the second contact element. The spring is compressed in such a way that the chip card undergoes a first movement and a second movement, the first movement being in a direction opposite the second movement. The first movement and the second movement are made longitudinally relative to the spring and the first contact element at a connection axis, at the same time as the first contact element is in contact with the second contact element. Thus, dust particles can be moved from the contact zone between the first contact element and the second contact element of the chip card at the moment of electrical connection. Nevertheless, a first pile of dust and a second pile of dust may appear on either side of the electrical connection zone between the first contact element and the second contact element of the chip card. The presence of these two piles of dust may then cause a poor electrical connection.